The board meeting
The board meeting
Nolan’s POV
I shouldn’t have stayed that long.
The thought followed me all the way down the hallway, clinging to me like a shadow I couldn’t shake. Ben’s apartment door had barely closed behind me, yet her presence still lingered on my skin, in my chest, in the quiet chaos of my mind.
She looked… softer.
Still guarded. Still hurting. But softer.
And that scared me more than anything.
Because it made me want things I wasn’t sure I deserved anymore.
I exhaled sharply as I stepped out of the building, the cool air hitting my face like a reset I desperately needed. My car was parked just across the street, but instead of getting in immediately, I paused, dragging a hand through my hair.
Too much was happening.
Too fast.
Ben. The baby. My father. The tension that refused to die no matter how hard we tried to bury it.
And now I didn’t even know what now was yet.
I got into the car and drove straight to the office, hoping foolishly that work would distract me. That numbers and meetings and contracts would be easier to deal with than emotions.
They weren’t.
The moment I stepped into New Way Group, I felt it.
Eyes.
Whispers.
The subtle shift in energy when people noticed me.
My jaw tightened.
Something was off.
I ignored it, walking straight toward the elevators. Whatever it was, I didn’t have the patience for it, not today.
The doors slid open, and I stepped inside, pressing the button for my floor. The ride up felt longer than usual, the silence louder than it should have been.
By the time the doors opened again, my unease had turned into something sharper.
I stepped out and walked straight into someone.
“Watch it”
The words died on my tongue.
Rosie.
Of course.
Because clearly, the universe wasn’t done with me yet.
She froze, her eyes widening slightly as recognition hit. For a second, neither of us moved.
“Nolan.”
Her voice was softer than I remembered.
“Rosie.”
And just like that, the past came rushing back.
One night.
One reckless decision.
One mistake we had both agreed to forget.
Except… standing here now, it didn’t feel forgotten at all.
It felt very much alive.
“You’re back,” she said, breaking the silence.
“I could say the same,” I replied.
Her lips curved faintly, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “I never left.”
Right.
Of course she hadn’t.
She was my secretary.
Or at least… she used to be.
“I’ve been… away,” I said, which was the understatement of the year.
“I noticed.”
There it was again.
That tension.
Unspoken. Unresolved.
I shifted slightly, already uncomfortable.
“I should get to”
“Nolan, wait.”
I stopped.
Something in her tone made me turn back.
She looked… hesitant.
Which wasn’t like her.
Rosie had always been composed. Confidence. Unshaken.
But right now?
She looked unsure.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
The question caught me off guard.
“I’m fine,” I said automatically.
She didn’t look convinced.
Her brows pulled together slightly as she studied me. “I mean it. After everything I’ve seen…”
A flicker of irritation sparked in my chest. “Seen what?”
She blinked, clearly surprised.
“You haven’t checked your phone?”
A cold feeling settled in my stomach.
“No,” I said slowly. “Why?”
For a second, she didn’t answer.
And that silence?
It said everything.
“Rosie,” I pressed, my voice sharper now.
She exhaled softly. “There are articles, Nolan.”
My heart skipped.
“What kind of articles?”
Her hesitation was all the confirmation I needed that I wasn’t going to like the answer.
“About you,” she said carefully. “About Ben… and your father.”
The air shifted.
“What?”
I was already pulling out my phone before she could say anything else. My fingers moved quickly, opening my notifications and then everything stopped.
Headlines.
Everywhere.
Loud. Ugly. Impossible to ignore.
“NEW WAY GROUP HEIRESS AT CENTER OF SHOCKING LOVE SCANDAL.”
“FATHER AND SON ENTANGLED WITH THE SAME WOMAN—INSIDE THE REBEL FAMILY SECRET.”
“BENEDYKTA REBEL: POWER, AND A FORBIDDEN LOVE TRIANGLE.”
My chest tightened.
“What the hell is this…?” I muttered.
I scrolled faster, my jaw locking as I read.
They twisted everything.
My connection to her.
My father’s history.
They had taken fragments of truth and turned them into something disgusting.
Something scandalous.
Something designed to destroy.
“This is insane,” I said, my voice low but dangerous.
Rosie nodded slightly. “It’s spreading fast.”
I let out a humorless laugh. “Of course it is.”
Because this was exactly the kind of story people loved.
Power.
Money.
Sex.
Scandal.
And Ben?
She was right at the center of it.
My grip on the phone tightened.
“They’re going to tear her apart,” I said.
“And you,” Rosie added quietly.
“I don’t care about me.”
And I didn’t.
Not like this.
Ben was already carrying too much. Emotionally. Physically.
And now this?
This could break her.
I shoved my phone back into my pocket, my mind already racing. “I need to talk to her.”
“Nolan”
I stopped, glancing back at Rosie.
Her expression had shifted again. Softer. Almost… conflicted.
“I didn’t mean to bring this up like this,” she said. “I just thought you should know.”
I studied her for a moment.
There was something genuine in her tone.
Something real.
“Thanks,” I said, more quietly this time.
She nodded.
Then, after a pause, she added, “For what it’s worth… I don’t believe any of it.”
I frowned slightly. “You don’t?”
She shook her head. “No. I know you.”
The words landed heavier than they should have.
“Do you?” I asked before I could stop myself.
Her gaze held mine. “More than you think.”
That familiar tension flickered again.
Dangerous.
Complicated.
Unnecessary.
I exhaled, breaking eye contact. “That night”
“I know,” she cut in gently. “It didn’t mean anything.”
The words were calm.
Controlled.
But I could hear the faint crack beneath them.
I nodded. “Good.”
A lie.
Because clearly, it had meant something.
Otherwise, we wouldn’t be standing here like this.
But I didn’t have the space to unpack that right now.
“I should go,” I said firmly.
She stepped aside, giving me room.
“Take care of yourself, Nolan.”
I didn’t respond.
I just walked away.
The boardroom doors were already closed when I got there.
Voices echoed from inside.
Loud.
Heated.
I didn’t bother knocking.
I pushed the door open and stepped in.
Silence fell instantly.
All eyes turned to me.
Perfect.
“Nolan,” one of the partners said, his tone sharp. “This is a private meeting.”
“Then maybe you shouldn’t be discussing my family without me,” I shot back.
A ripple of discomfort moved through the room.
Good.
My gaze locked onto Ben's grandfather at the head of the table.
Mr. Rebel.
He looked… furious.
But beneath that?
Something else.
Pressure.
“What’s going on?” I demanded.
One of the partners leaned forward, his expression tight. “What’s going on is that your ex-wife’s scandal is destroying this company.”
“Watch your tone,” I snapped.
“Then control your family,” another one added.
My fists clenched.
“This isn’t about tone,” a third partner cut in. “This is about reputation. Investors are already pulling back. We cannot afford to be associated with this.”
“This?” I echoed dangerously.
“Your ex-wife's … situation.”
I let out a cold laugh. “You mean lies.”
“They’re not just lies if the public believes them,” someone muttered.
That hit harder than I expected.
Because it was true.
Perception was everything.
And right now?
Perception was against us.
One of the senior partners turned to Ben's grandfather. “Mr. Rebel, with all due respect, this needs to be handled immediately.”
My stomach dropped.
Handled.
I knew exactly what that meant.
“She is a shareholder,” Mr. Rebel said, his voice firm but strained.
“And she’s a liability,” the partner shot back. “If this continues, we all suffer.”
“You’re suggesting what?” I asked, though I already knew the answer.
The room went quiet.
“That she steps down,” one of them said.
Silence.
Heavy.
Suffocating.
“Or is removed,” another added.
Something inside me snapped.
“You don’t get to do that,” I said, my voice low with warning. “Not to her.”
“This isn’t personal, Nolan. It’s business.”
“Funny,” I replied coldly. “Because it feels very personal.”
Ben's grandfather finally spoke again.
“Enough.”
The single word cut through the tension like a blade.
Everyone fell silent.
His gaze moved across the room slowly, deliberately.
“I will handle this,” he said.
“But-”
“I said I will handle it.”
There was no room for argument in his tone.
The partners exchanged uneasy glances, but one by one, they nodded.
Reluctantly.
The meeting was over.
But the damage?
That was just the beginning.
I turned to my grandfather as the room started to clear.
“You’re not seriously considering this,” I said.
He didn’t answer immediately.
And that?
That scared me more than anything.
Because for the first time…
I wasn’t sure which side he was on.